State plans to close Taunton State Hospital

The Patrick administration plans to close Taunton State Hospital, citing budget constraints and the opening of a new psychiatric facility in Worcester.

The Patrick administration plans to close Taunton State Hospital, citing budget constraints and the opening of a new psychiatric facility in Worcester.

Department of Mental Health Commissioner Barbara Leadholm informed workers and other staffers at the psychiatric hospital Tuesday of the decision to close the 169-bed facility by year’s end.

The administration said the hospital is antiquated compared to the new Worcester Recovery Center and Hospital, which is set to open this summer.

Taunton Hospital patients will be transferred to either the new Worcester facility or Tewksbury State Hospital, or discharged to a community facility.

Gov. Deval Patrick said no jobs will be lost, and the state will maintain its statewide total of 626 beds.

“We understand that this announcement will impact the community of Taunton,” Patrick said in a statement. “We look forward to working collaboratively with the city during the implementation of this transfer and closure plan.”

Under the plan, 124 of Taunton’s inpatient beds will be consolidated into the new Worcester facility, which will have 320 beds. Another 45 of Taunton’s beds will be transferred to Tewksbury Hospital.

There are 410 employees at Taunton State Hospital and 426 employees at the old Worcester State Hospital, which is scheduled to close in July when the new facility opens. All current employees will have job opportunities at the new Worcester facility, Patrick said.

Patrick also said the state is committed to keeping several group homes in the Taunton area.

Karen Coughlin, a nurse who has worked at Taunton State Hospital for 28 years, said she and other workers were caught off guard.

“We were completely blindsided by this. We really had not anticipated this. We are really disappointed,” said Coughlin, who is vice president of the Massachusetts Nurses Association.

Coughlin said the decision will mean far fewer local resources for those in need of psychiatric care in the southeast area of the state. She said there are 173 patients at the Taunton facility.

The announcement comes as Patrick prepares to unveil his proposed state budget for the 2013 fiscal year, which begins July 1. Patrick has already warned that the budget will include cuts along with proposals for additional revenues.